A New York man will serve between two to 6 years in jail on an indeterminate sentence after it was discovered he’d stolen almost $450,000 from a volunteer hearth firm, which was then used to gas his gambling habit.
The 42-year-old James Hoffman from Depew, New York, stole a grand whole of $446,118.42 between January 1, 2019, and January 31, 2025. To steal the cash, Hoffman made unauthorized withdrawals, in addition to pocketed fundraiser money.
James Hoffman, 42, #Depew, was sentenced to 2 to six years in jail. He pleaded responsible to felony expenses for stealing $446k+ whereas serving as treasurer of the Sheridan Park Hearth Firm in addition to repeated failure to file his private revenue taxes. https://t.co/DXte7OWqsl
— Erie County District Legal professional's Workplace (@DAErieCountyNY) October 6, 2025
In court docket, he pleaded responsible to the crime, set as Grand Larceny within the Second Diploma, making it a Class C felony. He additionally pleaded responsible to tax avoidance, as he had repeatedly didn’t correctly file it. This has resulted in considered one of three situations targeted on the cash stolen, the place Hoffman should pay again $26,706 in restitution to New York’s tax workplace.
The opposite two cash-based situations out of the case’s responsible plea additionally meant handing over $55,000 to the protection legal professional. A Confession of Judgement was additionally signed, the place Hoffman might want to pay again $391,118.42 of the cash he stole again to the hearth firm.
New York volunteer hearth firm will get its payback after gambling-fueled theft
Engaged on the case was Mike Keane of the Erie County DA, who recommended Detective Eric Schmidt of the City of Tonawanda Police Division and the New York State Division of Taxation and Finance for working the case.
Talking within the press release relating to the court docket’s outcomes, Keane stated:
“For a few years, this defendant abused his place as treasurer to steal a whole lot of 1000’s of {dollars} from a hearth firm that helps and protects the residents of Tonawanda.
“He knowingly violated the belief positioned in him by firefighters, devoted volunteers, and the neighborhood. I hope that the Sheridan Park Hearth Firm can be made complete by his restitution funds and continued help from our neighborhood.”
Recently, there have been several cases of people getting sentenced for crimes tied to their playing habits. Simply final month, ReadWrite shared the story of a 48-year-old man from Olympia who was given 18 months in prison by a US District Court docket in Tacoma for wire fraud after he embezzled cash to help his playing dependancy.
Featured picture: Heather Gill, Tim Wildsmith
The submit New York man steals $450K from volunteer fire company to fund gambling appeared first on ReadWrite.
